




. 








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p-k • ;: :: : u^OUOFOOT 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



Chap........ Copyright No... 

Shell_J?.&. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



©hiU»'# <&hvi&t-®ale&. 



CHILD'S CHRIST-TALES 



ANDREA HOFER PROUDFOOT 

IV 



IFllustrateD 



EIGHT THOUSAND 
SOUVENIR EDITION 



CHICAGO ' 

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR 

140O AUDITORIUM 



NOV 23 

- 



sfitfb* 



\ 









COPYRIGHT, 1896 
ANDREA HOFER PROUDFOOT 




To the Child 

'To the Boy and Girl Cousins in the West, 

and to my own Helen and Frances, 

these stories are dedicated. 



CONTENTS 

Frontispieces Christ-Child — F. Ittenbach 

Madonna Saint Sistine — Raphael 
The Promised Plant (i) A Parable 

David and John (5) A Prophecy 

Illus. Saint John the Baptist — Paul Baudry 

Illus. Saint John, Christ-Child and Lamb — Murillo 
The Angel's Promise (9) The Annunciation 

Illus. The Annunciation — Murillo 
The Manger (12) The Fulfillment 

Illus. The Holy Night — Feuerslein 

Illus. The Nativity — Lerolle 

Illus. The Arrival at Bethlehem — L . Olivier Merson 
The Mother of a King (15) 

Illus. Madonna and Child — Midler 

Illus. Madonna and Child — Dagnan Bouveret 
The Stars and the Child (18) 

Illus. The Mother and Christ-Child — Froschl 
Three Truly Wise Men (22) 

Illus. Magi on their Way to Bethlehem — Porteals 
The King's First Journey (24) 

Illus. Repose in Egypt — L. Olivier Merso?i 

Illus. Repose in Egypt — Plockhurst 
The Child and the Lilies (28) 

Illus. Madonna and Child — Ballheim 
The Child and the Waves (29) 

Illus. Madonna of the Waves (Detail)— D. Maillart 

Illus. Christ Preaching from a Boat — Hoffman 



CONTENTS — Continued. 

Saint Anthony and the Child (31) 

Illus. Saint Anthony and Infant Christ — Murillo 
The Listening Child (36) 

Illus. Holy Family— Mutter 
The Sweetest Stories (38) 

Illus. Saint Joseph and Christ-Child — Murillo 
The Boy in the Temple (41) 

Illus. Christ in the Temple — Hoffman 
The Birds (47) Illus. Christ-Child —Murillo 

The Christ-Child (49) 

Illus. Guardian Angel — Murillo 

Illus. Madonna and Child — Dagnan Bouveret 

Illus. Adoration of the Shepherds — Bouguereau 
Saint John the Story-Teller (60) 

Illus. Saint John — Domenichino 
The New Year's Message (62) 
A Flower Carol (68) 

Illus. Madonna and Child with Wreath — Rubens 
The New Year Bell (70) 

Illus. Madonna of the Waistband — Murillo 
The Carolers (77) 
Christmas Wreaths (80) 

Illus. Holy Family — Knaus 
Saint Christopher and the Christ-Child (81) 

Illus. Saint Christopher and the Christ-Child 

— Titian 
Little Children Come Unto Me (89) 

Illus. Christ Blessing Little Children — Plockhutst 




CHRIST-CHILD 

The Father and I are one 

{F. Ittenbach) 




MADONNA SAINT SISTINE 
{Raphael) 



$0e (JpromtBeb (Jtfcmf. 

TT7HERE was once a promise made to all 
the people of the world, and every one 
was waiting and had been waiting long for it 
to be kept. 

No one could remember who had made the 
promise, but the little children were told that 
it was made by a great King who knew every- 
thing that had ever happened, and all things 
that would ever be. 

And this was the promise: 

A wonderful flower was to grow in a certain 
garden that would bring to the one who owned 
the garden all the good things in the world. 

Every one waited and waited for the flower 
to come. Years and years they had waited — 
summer after summer; each new little boy and 
girl that came into the world was told of the 
great promise, and among the very first things 
they did was to go about seeking the flower 
and asking questions about it. 



But no one could tell them anything except 
to repeat the promise that a beautiful gift- 
plant would some day grow upon the earth, 
which only people with loving hearts could 
see, and they should be greatly blessed. 

Every one in the whole world went about 
looking for this flower, even though they did 
a great deal of work, and thought of other 
things, yet they never quite forgot the won- 
derful promise. 

Many of them prepared the soil and made 
beautiful gardens to receive it. Some sought 
far and wide for rare seeds and bulbs which 
they planted and watered, but only such plants 
grew as every one had seen before, and so they 
still waited and searched. 

Many others wished and wished, and some 
prayed and prayed, but the precious seed did 
not come. 

The rich men of the land had great parks 
laid out; the ground was tilled and everything 
kept ready for the plant to find root. Many 



gardeners and watchers were hired to stay 
there and watch for this wondrous flower and 
guard it — but it did not come. 

Yet no one ever doubted the promise, for 
every one wished very much to have all the 
good things which were to come with this 
flower. 

Among all these people there was one very 
kind woman, who did many good deeds. She 
loved and cared for little children who had no 
one to help them. One night when she came 
home from her work what did she see in a lit- 
tle broken flower-pot that stood in her win- 
dow? 

A tiny plant which she had never noticed 
before ! She watered it and it grew and grew, 
and she learned to love it. 

One day while she was looking at the tiny 
plant she remembered the promise, and said 
quietly to herself : "Can it be that this is the 
beautiful flower the whole world is waiting for! 
I think it is, for it has made me so happy. ' ' 



And it was the flower. 

She knew the promise had come because it 
made her so happy. 

Every one, far and near, came to see it; and 
they begged pieces and seeds to plant. And 
though the good woman gave of her plant, it 
grew larger and larger, and she became hap- 
pier and happier. 

One day it blossomed wide and beautiful. 

The rich men who had made great parks 
and gardens for the flower would not believe 
the woman had received the real promised 
plant. They shook their heads and laughed at 
it all, and went on seeking after other seeds 
and plants. 

But the people who believed because they 
saw how happy it made the woman to whom 
the flower came, brought rich gifts to her and 
begged for the seed, and they took it home and 
planted it everywhere, that the whole world 
might be filled with joy and peace. 




m g 



CTO many things that children love to hear 
^ happened very long ago. This story of 
David and John is an old, old story, and we 
only remember it through songs and legends 
that have been told and related by the great 
story-tellers and singers of years long past. 

David was a shepherd boy. 

He tended sheep in his father's pastures, 
and in the long days of summer he watched 
the young lambs play round the mother sheep. 
He sang to them and played upon his harp — 
for he loved them; and he loved the warm sun- 
shine and the green meadow with all his heart. 

All of David's people owned pastures and 
raised sheep. They were people who loved 
their country and its people with a deep love, 
and they had taught their children to love 
God most of all. 

So David, while he led his sheep through 
the green pastures and beside the still waters, 
thought many thoughts about these things. 

The nation to which David belonged had 



received a promise in the beginning, that 
there would some day come to it a King to 
rule and bless its people. 

This King was to come from God, and the 
whole world would bow down before him. 

David, when he was out in the sweet fields, 
would sing of this promise, and with his fin- 
gers touch the harp in time with his voice, 
until, it is said, the flock gathered round him 
and listened. 

And there, amid his sheep, he learned to 
love the King who was to come; and deep 
down in his heart he believed that the promise 
would surely be fulfilled. 

And it was. 

There was another youth called John, who 
received the same promise that came to David. 
He lived a long time after David, but the great 
King had not yet come. 

Still no one had ever doubted the promise, 
for the nation was very unhappy and had had 
great troubles, and was looking and longing for 



a wise ruler to help thern. They all thought 
this promised King would come in great glory 
and sit upon a throne, with beauty and grand- 
eur all about him. 

As a boy John passed his days under the 
sky in the fields and woods. He ate fruits and 
honey, and had never seen a city or many 
people. 

His father and mother had told him many 
times of the promised King, but John knew 
very little of what thrones and rulers meant, 
and even less of what the world was thinking. 
But he knew that such a man as would come 
from God must be a perfect man, who would 
know and do only the good. 

John left the wilderness and woods when he 
became older and went out among the people; 
When he saw how strange were their thoughts 
of this man of God, who was to come, he told 
them they must look for their King as holy 
and pure, not as a worldly king. 

God put it into his heart to make clear to 



8 

these people, and tell them of this King who 
was to come quickly. 

Many men and women followed after John 
wherever he went, for they loved to hear his 
words. And great numbers believed, watch- 
ing every day more eagerly than before for this 
King, the Son of God, who was to come and 
be their ruler. 




THE ANNUNCIATION 
(Murillo) 



£#e ©ngef's ^promise. 

OUPPOSING an angel should speak to you! 
*^ Deep in your ear you should hear it, 
and deep in your heart you should believe its 
words; and when you turned about there was 
no angel there ! 

What would you think? 

No one could make you believe it never hap- 
pened ; and would you not watch and wait for 
its promises to come true? 

This is just what happened to a beautiful 
young woman the world has always called 
Mary. 

She sat one morning with her hands filled 
with flowers, and her eyes far away out upon 
the field. She was most happy, because of the 
beauty all about her and because of the loving 
deeds done. 

Suddenly, from above and below, and all 
about, there began to pour a light which al- 
most blinded her eyes, and as she peered into 



IO 



it, she heard a clear, still voice from out its 
deepest brightness, saying: 

"Joy to thee, Mary! God is with thee; 
blessed art thou among women! Mary, God 
loveth thee; and behold, thou shalt bring 
forth a son, and call his name Jesus. He 
shall be great; he shall be called the Son of 
God; he shall be placed upon the throne, and 
of his kingdom there shall be no end." 

And the angel ceased. 

As she listened and looked, she knew it 
must be an angel. Its form became brighter 
and brighter, even brighter than the light, 
and deep, deep eyes looked down upon her 
and into her eyes, until they, too, streamed 
with light. 

And the angel left her. 

She sat long and dreamed it all over and 
over. The flowers had dropped from her 
hands and the light of her eyes streamed out 
toward the blue sky. 

No one came near her, and for a long time 



she was all alone, with only the angel's prom- 
ise to dream about. 

Think what a sweet promise it was — that a 
holy child should come to her and lie close 
to her breast, and look up into her face and 
tell her with its smiles of God and heaven. 

Every baby can tell to every one of us the 
same sweet story, if we will only believe and 
watch for the promises of the angel who al- 
ways tells us of its coming. 




THE HOLY NIGHT 
( Feuet stein) 



£0e QTlcmger. 

TT7HE great King did come upon the earth, 
to all the waiting people. 

The world had grown so tired that it was 
beginning to forget the promise, and just when 
they least thought of it, lo! it came true. 

On the first Christmas morning, before the 
light had come, the great King came upon the 
earth. 

It was the same King that David had sung 
of, and the same King that John had told 
about! The same King the world had waited 
for! 

And this was how it came about. 

Shepherds were watching their flocks by 
night, and they dreamed that their King had 
come. They awoke suddenly and saw a bright 
light and they heard voices which told them to 
follow the beautiful star which was standing 
high in the heavens, for its light would lead 
them to where the King was ? 



*3 

They arose in the night and followed the 
star a long way, when suddenly it stopped and 
hung over the very place where they were to 
find their King. And they went in; and lo! 
they found that their great King was only a 
tiny babe; its throne was its mother's knee, 
and its palace was a manger. 

Wonderful stories are told by those who 
came to the manger and found the little child. 
They saw a bright light above it, that lighted 
its face and all about it. And they brought 
gifts and laid them at the mother's feet. 

They called the babe their King, for they 
believed it was the child of God. The shep- 
herds went out among the people full of joy 
and thanks, and told all they met of the babe 
that was born to be their King. 

"The little Christ-Child lay in a manger 
bed because there was no room at the inns. A 
great many people journeyed toward the little 
town of Bethlehem that long-ago time, before 
the first Christmas day ; and when the mother 




THE ARRIVAL AT BETHLEHEM 
(L. Olivier Merson) 



14 

and father reached their journey's end at 
nightfall, every inn was filled with travelers 
— no bed for the sweet young mother, so 
weary after her long day's journey. Beth- 
lehem was filled. There were not houses 
enough for so many people. A warm shelter 
and a soft bed on the manger hay of the great 
hillside stable was all the good inn keeper 
could give; and there with the kind-eyed oxen 
and sheep all about, and the angels hovering 
o'er, the beautiful Christ-Child lay asleep in 
the manger. A great star shone overhead, 
and the angels sang softly. Thus it was the 
Christ-Child brought peace and joy to the 
world, even though he lay upon a manger bed 
when he came to Bethlehem on that Christmas 
night, so long ago. ' ' 




MADONNA AND CHILD 
(C Midler) 



£0e (jnoffcr of a (gir\Q. 

OF all the beautiful mothers, think how 
^ beautiful must be the mother of a King! 

If you and I love the king-child Jesus, how 
must his own mother have loved him! Think 
how happy the sweet mother Mary was when 
the perfect little boy-king, which she had been 
promised, really lay in her lap where she could 
touch him. 

As she hung over him and his shining eyes 
looked into hers, she watched him, listening 
for the signs by which she would surely know 
he was the King. 

And as over the face of the babe there crept 
smiles, no one knew what those smiles meant 
except the mother; for she knew that the 
smiles of her child would bring peace to the 
world. 

The angel had promised that he should be 
great; but as she looked down upon him, her 
eyes saw that he was tiny indeed, yet her heart 



i6 

knew that he was great, both in loveliness and 
love. 

The angel had promised her that he should 
come to her as the true child of God; and 
when the beautiful mother saw the shining, 
living child, full of holy life, she knew that 
only the great Father could have given him 
to her. 

The angel had promised her that he should 
sit upon the throne and be a great King and 
rule all the world ; and although he was born 
in the cattle stall, the mother knew that every 
loving creature that might look upon him 
would be only too glad to call so pure a child 
their master, and even King. 

And she made of her heart a treasure box, 
and kept all these sweet promises within her. 

Over and over, as she sang sweet words to 
her golden child, she thought of these prom- 
ises of the angel, and knew that some day the 
world, too, would know them, if only she, his 
mother, would never forget. 




MADONNA AND CHILD 
{Dagnan Bouveret) 



i7 

The mother never did forget, for we have 
all heard, ever since we were little babes, of 
this precious King, and of his beautiful heart- 
kingdom, and of the children of God that live 
therein. 

Blessed be the mother that never forgot. 



tfc §tars an* f0e £0tft>. 

T cONG, long ago — so long that even the old 
gray hills have forgotten — the beautiful 
stars in the sky used to sing together very early 
every morning, before any of the little people 
of the world were up. Their songs were made 
of light, and were so clear and strong that 
the whole heaven would shine when they 
sang. 

One morning, as the stars sang and list- 
ened to each other, they heard a beautiful 
music coming swiftly toward them. It was 
so much louder and sweeter than their own 
that they all stopped and listened and won- 
dered. It came from far above them, from 
out the very deepest blue of the sky. It was 
a new star, and it sang an entirely new song 
that no one had ever heard before. 

"Hark, hark!" the stars cried. "Let us 
hear what it is saying. ' ' 

And the beautiful star sang it over and over 



19 

again, and its song told of a lovely babe that 
had come on earth — a babe so beautiful that 
it was the joy of the whole world. Yes, so 
beautiful that when you looked at it you saw 
real light streaming from its face. 

Every little child in the world has light in 
its face if we but know how to see it; but 
this little one had so very much that its 
mother wondered as she looked down upon 
her lap and saw it there. And there were 
shepherds there to look at the babe, and 
many other people saw it and could not un- 
derstand. 

But the one beautiful star knew — yes it 
knew all about it; and what do you think it 
knew? Why, that this child was God's own 
child, and was so good and loving that the 
whole world when it heard of it would want 
to know how to be so, too. 

This one beautiful star traveled on and on, 
telling all the way what it knew of the child, 
and its light fairly danced through the sky, 



and hung over the very place where the little 
one lay. 

All the other stars in the heavens were 
puzzled. They heard the song of the won- 
derful star that had come such a long, long 
way, and saw its brightness. 

The words of its song were, ' ' A loving child, 
a loving child is on the earth. ' ' 

And as they listened these stars all looked 
down to find the child, but they could not see 
so far. And the strangest part of it all was, 
they could not sing their old songs any longer, 
the sweet new one was so much more beau- 
tiful, and so they sang that: "A loving child, 
a loving child is on the earth. ' ' 

It is said that although they did not find 
the beautiful babe of which the great star 
sang, they are still seeking and listening and 
waiting. Every quiet evening they look 
down upon each little child, right down into 
each little heart, and ask, "Is this the child 
that is really loving? ' ' They peep out of the 



21 

sky just as the dear little babes are being 
tucked into bed, and down they peer, right 
into the windows. 

That is why the stars come just at bed- 
time, for then they know where they can find 
the loving child. It is in its dear mother's 
lap, the light is shining in its face most of all, 
for it laughs up into the sweet eyes, and love 
seems all over everything. The stars know, 
for they have watched for many long years, 
and some day they will surely be satisfied. 

And when they do find a truly loving child, 
a child with a shining face, a trusting heart 
and gentle ways, they will shine out brightly 
and sing with joy over and over again, U A 
loving child, a loving child is on the earth;" 
and again the heavens will light up and the 
wise men come and the manger be filled with 
shining, and the whole world will listen over 
again, and remember about the wonderful 
child that was born and is come again. 



1 i * 




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wL ffjji^ l , l vii^- x>Si 





THE MOTHER AND CHRIST-CHILD 
(C. Froschl) 




< -S 



£0iree $rufy OEise (Jtten. 

£J S we all know there were once three wise 
*^* men who traveled over the sands of the 
East searching for a King. 

Snch a long, long stretch over the burning 
hot sands of the desert they came, with lov- 
ing, humble hearts, with only a single star to 
guide them, and with feet so willing to follow, 
if only they might find this King, of which 
the heavens had told them, and for which 
they had hoped and prayed so long. 

We all know that these wise men really did 
find their King, for we have heard over and 
over the whole story. 

But did you ever think how far they came; 
how they knelt before a young child on its 
mother's lap within a stable, and were satisfied 
to call him King, and then went their way 
again with glad hearts, knowing they had seen 
the real child of God ! 

Do all wise men long, as these three did, to 



23 

see in the tender, gentle heart of the babe the 
real child of God. 

Do they travel the world over to search and 
understand the hearts of children? 

Do they bring lovingly their precious gifts 
to the little ones? For the King, you know, 
said, "If ye do it unto one of the least of 
these, ye do it unto me. ' ' 



£0e (gittg'B Stref Journey. 

TT is told that this King took a long jour- 
ney when he was only a tiny babe. 

The prince of this world heard from the 
shepherds how they followed the star and how 
they found the child with such light stream- 
ing from its face that surely it must be the 
new King sent from God, of whom David had 
sung and John had told, and for whom the 
whole world was waiting. 

And the prince of this world trembled for 
he feared lest this infant grow up and be 
made king in his place, to sit on his throne 
and rule his people. 

And he sent soldiers out over the land to 
find the child and take him away. 

One still night an angel of the Lord told 
the mother of the king's thought, and asked 
that the child be taken quietly away until the 
prince should forget. 

And Mary, the mother, told her dream to 



25 

Joseph, and Joseph brought a beast of burden 
before the morning light came, and put the 
mother upon it, and the little child in her 
arms. Then with the halter in his hand he 
started out on foot toward the south, to 
Egypt, for there the angels had told them the 
little child would be safe. 

Before they reached the land of the great 
River Nile they must pass many long days 
plodding through the hot sand, and it would 
have been a weary journey had not so many 
wonders happened. 

Poets who love the gentle-hearted babe, and 
sing almost as David sang, have told us of 
this long journey through the south. They 
say the light with which he was born never 
left his face, and it lighted their way. The 
palm-trees stooped to give them fruit to eat. 
All the dangers of the desert passed them by; 
dry rose-bushes bloomed anew and filled the 
wide bare land with perfume, and the mother 
put them in her baby's hands. 




REPOSE IN EGYPT 
[Plockhurst) 



26 

Again the poet tells of how they rested by 
the wayside, and as the sun stole across the 
sky, the leaves of the tree under which they 
sat moved with the sun to shade the baby and 
his two beloved ones. And its shadow rested 
on them all day long to keep the spot cool 
whereon they sat. 

And soon they came to where a great 
rock-hewn figure spread itself in the sand. 
The people of this land of Egypt loved to cut 
these wondrous figures from the stone and 
worship them. 

Joseph led the beast up to the place and it 
was evening-, so thev stooped to rest. 

And on the breast of the great Sphinx the 
mother leaned and the babe was in her arms. 
Joseph kept watch by the slow fire and 
strange things he thought as he watched 
the smoke curl toward the soft southern sky. 

Two years they wandered about the River 
Nile. And there the child's soft feet took 
their first steps which afterward led so many 



27 

friends into right paths; and there the baby's 
lips first learned to speak to the mother's 
eyes — those lips which since have spoken 
the sweetest words in all the world. 

And this is the story of how the babe was 
saved from the cruel king. 

And in two years, back they came to the 
little white-roofed city of Nazareth, and to the 
quiet home where Jesus grew to sweetest boy- 
hood. 




MADONNA AND CHILD 
{Ballheim) 



£0e £0{fb an* f0e &i?k*. 

OEK the sweet baby look deep into the lily! 
**** He was such a lily himself, and had such 
a white, white heart with a golden center. 

Tell me, have you ever thought how much 
the Christ-Child is like a lily? 

Let me tell you how much. He came right 
from God's hand, just as a fresh spring lily 
does, and every word he spoke was sweet, even 
sweet as the lily smells; every one he touched 
was made happy, even as the lily makes us 
happy with its snowy brightness. 

How well he understood what the lily meant 
by its whiteness and perfume! and what won- 
derful stories he told the world of his Father's 
love for the lily, for he dressed it in garments 
more beautiful than kings', even though it 
did no duties, except to give out sweetness 
and light. 

We all love lilies and the Christ-Child, too, 
and in loving them we make them ours. 




MADONNA OF THE WAVES 

Detail 

(D. Mat Hart) 



Q CROSS the blue water the sun was shin- 
*^ ing on the dear mother and her beauti- 
ful child. The waves sang sweet morning 
songs to them and over and over told their 
stories. From his childhood Jesus loved the 
water and loved the simple people who lived 
near the water. 

Think what he must have heard when he 
listened to the waves telling in their deep 
voices the same stories over and over. He un- 
derstood them, for you know when he was a 
man they listened to him, and stopped roaring 
when he spoke, and played round the boat in 
which he was riding, and gently splashed and 
sang. 

Even the waves and winds obeyed him. 

How he loved the water! Often, when the 
people crowded around him, he would go out 
in a boat with his own beloved waves about 
him and talk to those on the shore. 



3° 

Did you ever hear trie story how the waves 
helped him when he wished to go to his 
friends, and there was no way save over the 
water? They held up his feet as he stepped 
on them and were a strong path under him 
until he reached his beloved ones; and how 
they all marveled who saw him walk on the 
water, for though they had always lived near 
the water and were fishermen, yet they could 
not do such things. 

The Christ-Child learned in the beginning 
the secret of the waves, and every thing in 
the world he knew and loved because his 
Father gave all things to him to help — and 
with all things he helped his beloved brothers. 
And his brothers were all men. 



ONCE there lived in Padua a boy, 

^ So calm and gentle, loving, meek and 

mild 
The village wondered, and his folk 

Were puzzled at the goodness of the child. 

Each day he lovelier grew, to both 

The eyes and hearts of all his mates in 
youth, 

That they gave up the palm to this 
Gold-hearted, gentle lover of the truth. 

How did he show his kindliness? 

Why friends, sweet friends, 'twas just in 
serving men; 
In giving up his moments, pleasures, joys, 

His own self's claims to happiness, for them. 

What did he do for them? what tasks? 

'Twere hard to tell. From early morn till 
late 



32 

He did such quiet, loving deeds — 

That no one knew, and none would try to 

state. 

He stopped in passing at each door 

And watched the little ones with loving eyes ; 

He gave the mother comfort — helped 

To tend the flock and still the infant's cries. 

He calmed the anxious — sorrowing; 

He labored with the poor and cheered the 
old; 
He taught the sick that upward-looking 
Which brings them joy and peace of heart 
untold. 

He knelt oft by the sea and looked 
Upon the vast, the throbbing heart 

Of grandeur which the Lord had given 

To the ocean's soul and to his own in part. 

His lips sang songs to answer back 

The melodies with which the great waves 
played 



33 

Up to his feet; and the songs were sweet 
As if the earth and heaven prayed. 

Oh his was a great heart, beloved ones. 

When manhood set its crown upon his head, 
He did such holy, gracious deeds to men, 

And left his home and life for theirs instead. 

That light and love which on us shines 

Shone into him, this man of mother-heart: 

Good things we only dream to do 

He loved to do, and did the double part. 

Once as he knelt beside the sea, 

It seemed as though there came a holy child, 
And nestling, stayed within his arms, 

Close to his father-breast, so warm and mild. 

The babe remained in his great arms, 

And looked straight up into his earnest 
face, 
While lilies sprang beside his path, 

And clouds of cherubs hovered o'er the 
place. 



34 

And there beside him on the sand, 

The beaut' ous infant 'neath the lilies lay; 

The great saint bent above its form, 

And watched and longed that it might ever 
stay. 

The legend tells how the mother called, 
But the baby lay and waited long, — 

For the loving heart within the saint 
Was sweet almost as the mother's song. 

He felt the heart of I^ove had come, 
To beat within the bosom of a child, — 

The babe, the Christ, uncalled had found 
His arms. He held it close and smiled. 

Within his breast a rapture lived 
When long the vision fair had fled, 

And glorious lights shone over all, 

That circled close and rested round his head. 

Of Anthony, the saint, whose love 

For children taught the whole world how 
to love, 



35 

We tell this tale, and place his name 
All but one Holy name above. 

We look upon his tender face, 

The painter taught us was his very own, 
And love the Child his arms inclose, 

And say his Holy name with tenderer tone. 



£0e fcfefentng £0tfb. 

C^ ID you ever see a little baby look away off 
*~^ with wonder in its face and its eyes shin- 
ing? Did you ever see a baby smile in its 
sleep? 

Poets and mothers love to tell wonder sto- 
ries about what babes listen to when thus they 
smile and gaze far away. 

The Christ mother and father had been 
promised that angels would come to their 
beautiful child and teach him all things and 
give him all the gifts of God. So that when 
his sweet eyes gazed away off, and he smiled 
at the blue sky and sunshine, and when he 
stretched his tiny hands to some one they 
could not see, the mother and father knew 
what it meant, and they, too, listened and 
looked. 

Thus some music came into their own 
minds and hearts, and they understood these 
looks and smiles because they loved this won- 




HOLY FAMILY 
[Muller) 



37 

derful gift which came to them — this lovely 
child of God. 

The Christ-Child learned to listen early to 
the music in his own heart, and he told it the 
best he could to all those around him. 

Every little child hears this same angel 
music, for the heaven within us all is full of 
angels, singing forever of love and light. 







$0e i&mttttBi ^toxica. 

ID you ever hear a story so sweet that you 
never can forget it? 

Is there any story that has made you feel 
you would like to start right out and do 
something good or help some one? 

Iyong years ago, when the Christ-Child first 
came upon the earth, stories were very few, 
and they were not in books as they are now. 
The only reading there was to be found was 
the wonderful sayings of the wise men, and 
the stories of the people who had lived before, 
which had been saved in writing. Think, if 
stories were few, how sweet they would be 
and how we would read them over and over! 

Jesus as a child knew only these few stories. 
He heard them over and over, and as he grew 
older he searched them out for himself, for 
they were full of light and poetry, and many 
of them foretold the great things which were 
to happen. 




SAINT JOSEPH AND CHRIST-CHILD 
{Murillo) 



39 

Think what he must have felt when he read 
that the Son of God was to come and save his 
people from not only the wrongs which were 
done toward them, but the very wrong that 
was in their own hearts. As he read and 
read, these wonderful thoughts would not 
leave him. He began to see that these prom- 
ises meant him, for he knew he understood 
them as none of the friends about him did. 
And as they grew clearer and clearer to him 
he felt strong and great at heart and he could 
hardly wait until he was grown, for he knew 
that he could go out among the people and 
show them what these writings meant. 

He felt that he himself was indeed the Son 
of God, and not only that, but he knew that 
his Father was the great Father of all, and 
therefore they need no longer go about in tin- 
happiness and sorrow. 

Of course his friends were all surprised 
when he began to show them these things, 
and above all they believed when he proved 



4o 

what he said by helping them to do good. 

Best of all they loved to listen to him when 
he told them sweet stories of his own, and thus 
showed them what he meant. During all his 
work among his friends he told them these 
stories, and every story was so wonderful that 
it made them go away and wish to start right 
out and do good. Many did follow after him, 
and they have written down these stories 
which Jesus told for us all to read ; and when 
we read them we feel that they were told to 
creep into our hearts, not alone, into our ears. 

These stories come to us before we are tired 
of listening, and that was when Jesus himself 
read his stories, and he never forgot them and 
was ever afterward so deeply moved by them 
that he has moved the whole world to seek 
what he found. 

Are not those the sweetest stories in all the 
world, which we can never forget because they 
make us feel great and good and send us out 
to help and do for others ? 




8 

LU « 
X g 

""I 

5^ 



£0e QlSog in i$e £empfe. 

TN far-off Palestine, in years long past, the 
people of the villages and farms once a 
year went to the city of Jerusalem to cele- 
brate the great feast. 

They would start out in little parties from 
the different hamlets, and there would join 
them on the road, one by one, other travelers 
who were off on the same errand. 

Great troops would enter the city together, 
and indeed it was much safer that they re- 
main in close companies on the road. 

And such happy chatting, visiting neigh- 
bors as they were, for it took many long days 
of travel to come, and many more before they 
reached home again. 

Often whole families, mother, father, and 
children, went together, riding and walking, 
and resting by the way. 

The boy Jesus, with Mary and Joseph, took 
this long journey, too, and many other little 



42 

folks were along. Such a happy band as 
they were. The boys and girls would often 
rest themselves by mounting the camels and 
donkeys behind their mothers, and then be 
better ready for their long tramp. 

They would stop by the way for their bread 
and meat and to sleep at night, so it took 
several days before they reached Jerusalem, 
where the feast was to be held. 

Little Elizabeth, the neighbor's child, who 
lived in the house beyond that of Mary and 
Joseph, was a warm-hearted little girl of nine, 
and close companion of the boy Jesus. They 
would often stop and watch the long proces- 
sion of friends and neighbors pass with their 
camels and bundles, and then, before their 
mothers and fathers, far to the front, were, 
lost to sight, they would run swiftly ahead and 
join them again. 

And no one ever feared they would be lost, 
for all were going the same way and would 
guide the little ones. 



43 

At last they entered the great gates of Jeru- 
salem, where the whole caravan parted to find 
their resting places. 

Mary and Joseph went to the house of some 
friends, but Elizabeth pleaded so hard that 
Jesus might go with her and her parents, that 
it was finally allowed, for both the families 
were to return together; and besides, his 
mother was quite sure he could take care of 
himself, for he was twelve years old. 

The little boy and girl were very happy 
together, and loved most of all to go to the 
great temple where so many were always 
coming and going. 

On the morning of the day upon which 
they were to return to their home the two 
made one more visit, and looked once more 
at the great walls and the wonderful crowd. 

They sat down on a step to rest and Jesus 
comforted Elizabeth, for she was very wear}'. 
She leaned against him and he told her softly 
of his Father who dwelt in heaven, and how 



44 

always "he was rested at the thought of Him. 

As he was teaching this little girl what he 
knew of his Father, a tall man in robes 
leaned over him and kindly said, u What is 
this, my lad ? ' ' 

The sweet boy looked up into his face and 
said: 

"I but told Elizabeth, who is weary, of the 
Father who rests and comforts us all. Do 
you know of Him?" 

The man took him by the hand and said, 
"Tell me of Him." 

And he led the children through the great 
temple door and far into the heart of the 
wonderful building where there sat five wise 
priests who taught the people of God. 

And the man in the robes told them of the 
children and of their sayings, and the great 
priests asked what Jesus meant. 

He answered their questions and they were 
astonished at his answers, for they saw that 
he truly believed that his Father was God, of 



45 

whom they taught but did not understand. 
Jesus told them how this Father did all 
things for him, and showed them how by 
believing on Him and asking of Him we 
received. 

And many questions they asked him and he 
answered them all clearly. 

That day he w r as in the temple with the 
great priests, and on the morrow they again 
asked him of his Father, and his words made 
them all winder. 

On the third day, as he sat in the midst 
of the priests, Mary and Joseph found him. 
The\ r were greatly troubled, for they had 
traveled a long w^ay before they learned that 
the two children were not in the party home- 
ward bound. And Jesus told them how he 
had taught the great priests of his Father in 
heaven, which it was well that they should 
know. 

He left the five priests with loving adieux 
and thev were richlv blessed with his wonder- 



46 

fill sayings. And the father and mother with 
the two little ones made haste to join their 
friends who had gone far ahead of them, 
and very soon the happy families were to- 
gether again in Nazareth. 




CHRIST-CHILD 
(Murillo) 



£0e njftrbB. 

TT7HE Christ stories in the Bible are nearly 
all about the man Jesus, and if we love 
to hear about him as a child, we must listen 
to the old, old stories which are seldom writ- 
ten, but told many times over and over, and 
especially in those countries where people 
read very little, but give all their best thought 
from mother to child by singing and story- 
telling. 

When I was little and played about, we 
loved to play under grandmother's window; 
and all grandmother knew she had learned 
from her mother and grandmother in the far- 
away country where they teach by story and 
soug. We used to love to play in clay and 
sand, and often made cosy little birds' nests of 
clay, and put eggs in them quite as natural 
and round as the real eggs. Then we would 
make the dear mother birds with widespread 
wings, and cover over the eggs with them; 



4 8 

and dear grandmother would stop her knit- 
ting and lean out the open window and look 
down on our work and say : 

"Now, if you were little Christ children 
you could hatch the eggs and make them fly. ' ' 

And with wonder we would hear her tell 
how the boy Jesus played with his compan- 
ions one day, just as we were playing together 
then; and they made clay doves. When all 
were finished the Christ-Child clapped his 
hands and his birds flew into the air and were 
living things, just like all the real birds of 
the field. 

And we all looked at grandma and won- 
dered, just as his little companions must have 
wondered. And ever since this wonder has 
been in each heart : what was his power, his 
great power, which could bring life into a 
clay bird and make it fly? For grandmother's 
story must be true, and the same boy did so 
many strange things when he grew to be a 
man, and taught others to do them, too. 




GUARDIAN ANGEL 
{Murillo) 



£0e £Qxi6t-£$i?b. 

Q LONG, long time ago, on the night just 
before Christmas, a little child, all alone, 
wandered in the streets of a large city. 

There were a great many fathers and moth- 
ers hurrying home with bundles of presents 
for their little ones, and some rolled past in 
fine carriages, one after the other, bound for 
home to celebrate the happy time with their 
children. 

This little child seemed to have no home, 
but just wandered up and down, looking into 
the windows and watching the lights. No 
one seemed to notice the little one except 
Jack Frost, who bit the bare toes and fingers, 
and the North Wind, who almost brought 
tears to the child's eyes with his blowing. 
It was cold, oh, very cold that night. 

Up and down the street the little child 
passed, and the walks were all snowy and icy. 
The child had on neither shoes nor stockings; 



5° 

but, though it was cold, the little one was 
glad, for it was Christmas eve, and the whole 
world seemed to be glad, too. 

Everywhere the light was streaming out of 
the windows, and if one looked in, there could 
be seen the beautiful candles and the Christ- 
mas-trees. In some of the houses the trees 
were loaded with presents for the children, 
and in one place into which the little child 
looked the boys and girls were playing and 
skipping, and their merry laughter rang so 
loudly through the house, that it could be 
heard through the thick walls and doors out 
in the street. 

The little child was glad with them, and 
clapped its hands and said, "Oh, they are so 
happy in there! Surely they will share with 
me, and let me come into their warm, bright 
room and sing and play." 

And the little feet tripped up the great, 
wide staircase, and without a fear the child 
tapped softly at the door. 



5i 

And the door opened. 

There stood the tall footman. 

He looked at the little child, but sadly 
shook his head and said: " Go down off the 
steps. There is no room in here for you." 
He looked sorry when he said it, for he prob- 
ably remembered his own little ones at home, 
and was glad that they were not out in the 
cold. 

Through the open door a light — oh, such 
a bright light — shone, and it was so warm! 

But the child turned away into the cold 
and darkness, not knowing why the footman 
spoke so; for surely the children would have 
loved to have another little companion to 
join in their joyous Christmas evening fes- 
tival. 

But the children did not know that the 
child had knocked. 

The street seemed colder and darker to the 
child than before, and the bright windows 
were not nearly so bright, because the child 



52 

was sad. But all along, on both sides of the 
wide street, the light streamed out, and it 
was almost as bright as day; and the beauty 
all about made the little child glad again. 

The great city was full of happy homes 
that night, and the cold outside was entirely 
forgotten. All remembered only the happy 
time, and no doubt thought that every single 
person in the whole wide world was happy, 
too. 

Farther and farther along, down where the 
homes were not quite so large or beautiful, 
the little child wandered. There seemed to 
be children inside of nearly all the houses, 
and they were dancing and fiolicking about; 
there were Christmas-trees in nearly every 
window, with beautiful dolls and toys; there 
were trumpets and picture books, and all 
sorts of nice things; and in one place a sweet 
little lamb made of white wool was hanging 
on the tree for one of the children. 

The child, stopping before this window, 



53 

looked and looked at the beautiful thing, and 
creeping up to the glass gently tapped upon 
the pane. A little girl came to the window 
and looked out into the dark street and saw 
the child. But she only frowned and shook 
her head and said, "Come some other time, 
for we cannot take care of you now," and 
then she went away. 

The little child turned back into the cold 
again, and went sadly on, saying, "Will no 
one share the beautiful Christmas with me? 
The light is so bright and I love it so! " The 
child wandered on and on, scarcely seeing the 
light now on account of tears. 

The street became darker and narrower; 
farther and farther the little one traveled. It 
grew late. Scarcely anyone was out to meet 
the child as it walked, and all the outer 
world was still and cold. 

Ahead there suddenly appeared a bright, 
single ray of light, that shone right through, 
the darkness into the child's eyes. The child 



54 

smiled and said, "I will go and see if they 
will share their Christmas with me." 

Hastening past all the other houses, the 
little one went straight up to the window-pane 
from which the light was streaming. It was 
such a poor, little, low house, but the child 
saw only the light in the window, for there 
was neither curtain nor shade. What do you 
suppose the light came from? Nothing but a 
tiny tallow candle! But it seemed to the little 
wanderer almost as bright as the sun. That 
was because the child was glad again. The 
candle was placed in an old cup with a broken 
handle, and right in the same cup there was a 
twig of evergreen, and that was all the Christ- 
mas-tree they had. 

And who do you suppose was in the house? 

A beautiful mother with a baby on her 
knee, and a little one beside her. The chil- 
dren were both looking into their mother's 
face and listening to her words. A few 
bright coals were burning in the fireplace, 



55 

which made it light and warm within. The 
child crept closer to the window, and gently, 
oh, so gently, tapped upon the pane. They 
all listened. 

" Shall I open the door, dear mother?" the 
little girl asked. 

' ' Certainly, my child. No one must be left 
out in the cold on our beautiful Christmas eve. 
Open the door and let the stranger come in." 

The door was thrown wide open and the lit- 
tle girl looked into the darkness; when she 
saw the child she put out her little hand to 
help. The child went in — into the light and 
warmth. Then the mother put out her hands 
and touched the little child. The children 
said : " Dear little one, you are cold and naked ; 
come and let us warm you and love you, and 
then you shall have some of our Christmas." 

The baby crept out of its mother's lap, and 
she gathered the little stranger to her, and the 
children stood at her knee, and warmed the 
cold hands and feet, and rubbed them, and 



56 

smoothed the tangled curls, and kissed the 
child's face; the mother put her arms about 
the three little ones, and the candle and the 
firelight shone over them all, and everything 
was so still. 

And the mother's sweet voice spoke in the 
stillness: 

"Little ones," she said, "shall I tell you the 
real Christmas story? ' ' 

The children said, ' ' Yes, ' ' so the mother 
began : 

"Many, many years ago, this very night, 
some shepherds were out on the plains watch- 
ing their sheep. The wee little lambs were 
asleep, and the large sheep were sleeping, too. 
The stars shone bright and clear above, and all 
was very still below. 

' ' The shepherds sat beside each other with- 
out a word, leaning on their crooks and hardly 
moving. 

"Suddenly a great light shone all around 
about them, right through the darkness; they 



57 

did not know what it was, and they were all 
afraid. 

"Then an angel, white and beautiful, came 
to them from out the light, and told them not 
to fear, for great joy and gladness had come to 
the whole world. A little babe had just been 
born who was to become their King and save 
them from all wrong and suffering, and do 
great good for them and all mankind. The 
an gel then showed the shepherds where to 
find the babe, saying that it would be wrapped 
in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. 

k k And suddenly there was with the angel a 
multitude of the heavenly host, praising God 
and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and 
on earth peace, good will toward men. And 
a wonderful light was all about them, and 
when the angel had gone away from them 
into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, 
let us go and see this child of whom the angel 
told us. 

"So they left their lambs sleeping on the 



58 

plains, and took their crooks in their hands 
and started out. 

1 ' It was a long way, but a shining star was 
before them, and they followed it even up to 
the place where the angel had told them. And 
they found the babe lying in a manger, and 
when they had seen it they told all the people 
that came to see the child of what they had 
seen that night on the plains, and how the 
angel had told them to come to the child, and 
of the wonderful light which had made them 
afraid ; and how the multitude had sung. All 
they that had heard it wondered at the things 
which were told them by the shepherds. The 
mother of the little babe was very glad and 
remembered all these things. 

"The kind shepherds departed and went 
back to their flocks, telling every one they 
met of the young child. 

"They called the child Jesus, and the child 
grew, and was strong and beautiful, and Jesus 
taught the whole world how they should love 




ADORATION OF THE SHEPHERDS 
[Bouguereau) 



59 

one another and be good, even as onr Father 
in heaven is good and loves ns. ' ' 

The sweet voice of the mother ceased. The 
light in the room had grown brighter, until 
now it shone like the sun; from the floor to 
the ceiling all was light as day. And lo, 
when the little ones turned to look for the 
child, the mother's lap was empty; there was 
nothing to be seen ; the child was gone but the 
light was still in the room. 

"Children," the mother said quietly, "I 
believe we have had the real Christ-Child with 
us to-night. ' ' And she drew her dear ones to 
her and kissed them, and there was great joy 
in the little house. 

" And whoso receiveth one such little child 
in my name receiveth me." 

1 ' For lo! I am with yon always. ' ' 



T^TE all know how sweet were the stories 
*^* which the boy Jesus read and loved 
when he was searching, as does every little 
boy and girl, for happy stories. 

Think how much sweeter even must be the 
stories written about the Christ-Child him- 
self, and what a wondrous story-teller he must 
have been who could tell them to the whole 
world. Of course, in order to write about the 
Christ-Child in words that would live forever, 
one would have to know the deepest things in 
the Christ-heart, and think and feel the same. 
The one story-teller who knew Jesus best 
and loved him most was Saint John. He 
understood just what Jesus meant when he 
called God his Father. He knew what Jesus 
meant when he spoke of heaven, and in the 
very first story tells of how from the beginning 
he was with God. There is a beautiful pic- 
ture of Saint John where he holds the scroll 



6i 

and is all shining with light as he tells of the 
coming of Christ, when the whole heart world 
is pure enough to receive him. 

In one of his stories he tells of the beautiful 
city of Love where he lives with the Father 
and the blessed friends who lived the holy 
life. This is his last story about the Christ 
and tells of all his glorv and greatness. 

The stories easiest to understand are those 
in which he tells how Jesus took the little 
children and touched them and loved them; 
how he gave eyes to the blind and helped 
them to see; how he walked on the water, fed 
the people and cured the sick. 

John loved to call Jesus the Light, because 
his heart was full of goodness, and he tells us 
that it is this true light that lights every man 
that comes into the world. 

This loving friend, Saint John, knew the 
heart of the Christ-Child as perhaps only his 
mother knew it, and this is the reason we love 
his stories about him more than any others. 




SAINT JOHN 
1 Domenichino) 



#0e (Jtetw gear's (Message. 

A IvL the year round the three great bells of 
the village spoke to each other, back and 
forth from belfry to belfry, nodding and swing- 
ing. Each had but one word to say and he 
said it over and over, asking and answering in 
the very same tone. 

One would throw himself up into the air 
and hang there, trembling all over — his great 
tongue quivering — waiting for the answer 
from his neighbor with the shining brass 
sides, that hung in the tower across the little 
stream; and then from far down the valley 
would peal forth the ring of the third great 
bell, — all this while the first one was waiting 
for his turn to speak again. 

These bells hung and swung far above the 
heads of everybody in the village. They had 
but one thing to say and one way to say it, 
but since the people did not understand it did 
very well, and every one loved these three 



63 

brothers, and never even questioned what they 
meant. 

Though they did not speak in the same tone 
they were of one mind, and even when they 
spoke together they did not jangle in the least, 
but sounded so sweetly — especially in the ears 
of the children, who always stopped and 
looked up. Whenever they spoke together 
thus they told that a little child was born — 
somewhere in the village some one had a lit- 
tle new brother or sister, and so the children 
smiled. And when the year was born perhaps 
that was why the ringing brought them such 
joy. 

"Hark, hark, the bells!" 

Every one in the village awoke at twelve 
o'clock on New Year's Eve except the chil- 
dren, for out on the night there poured the 
rich clanging of the bells. 

All the grown people got up, peered out of 
the window, saw the clear sky and the ocean 
of stars, then they wished each other a very 



64 

sleepy " Happy New Year! " saying that they 
hoped it would bring some good with it, and 
back they went to sleep again. 

But the children did not wake up — they 
dreamed on and on under their coverlets; per- 
haps some of them turned over or stretched 
themselves, but not a single one opened an 
eye. Wasn't it strange? 

But when the frosty light of the morning 
poured over the houses from out the blue sky, 
every single child in the village started out of 
dreamland, and such dreams as they did tell! 
From one end of the village to the other 
every household, where there were any chil- 
dren, heard wonder-tales that could scarcely 
be believed. They told of having seen flower- 
beds right out in the snow, and of music and 
lights all over everything. They told of chil- 
dren with the happiest faces, laughing and 
playing and dancing and singing, and one 
little girl awoke in her cradle and found some 
beautiful flowers had blossomed right out of 



65 

the dream and were still in her hand. And 
every one came and marveled over it, and 
smelled the flowers and knew that they were 
real. This little one had listened perhaps 
the best of all to what the dream said, and so 
the dream came true. 

Wfiat had come to all the little ones? The 
wise people of the village were all puzzled, 
for no one, not even the old sextons who 
pulled the ropes, had noticed anything strange 
in the ringing. 

There were many old men and women in 
the village who had heard the bells for years 
and years, and they did not know as much 
about their meaning as the little folks, and 
how they all wondered at the dreams that 
came to the children on that New Year's 
night. 

This must have been the way it all came 
about: A beautiful friend who had told the 
children stories and taught them wonderful 
things, had asked each to watch for the mes- 



66 

sage of the New Year which comes after the 
Christ-Child's birth. 

Every child that was loving and helpful 
and trusting would hear on the eve of the 
Xew Year a wonder-tale, and don't you see 
each child went to sleep that night waiting 
and watching for it, and it had to come. If 
the grown people had done the same it would 
probably have come to them, too — but they 
are often too busy to hear and see even the 
most beautiful things. We are glad that chil- 
dren are not. 

The bells have a really deep story to tell 
that very few have ever guessed, and what 
they tell seems easier for the children to un- 
derstand than for grown folks; it is about the 
childhood of the year, and how in the begin- 
ning, before darkness came over the face of 
the world, all was beautiful and good and 
holy. 

The song that the Xew Year sings through 
the lips of a bell is something like this, if we 



6 7 

put it into words that the ears can understand: 
" Good people, awake, 
And list to the bell:— 
Begin with the year 

To know that all's well." 

Listen! and perhaps on New Year's Eve 
each one of us may hear the happiest greet- 
ing, so that the next day when we call out a 
"glad New Year" to every friend we meet, 
there will be so much joy in it that they will 
be gladder than they ever were before. 




U 0$ 



p 



@. Sfotwer £aro£ 

WAKE, awake, my buds of white!" 
The mother primrose said, 
"Ivift up each dainty head! 
And with your petals pure, uncurled, 
Sing of the Christ- Child, born to-night 
Into a frozen world ! ' ' 

Each snowy blossom started up 

From its sweet budding sleep, 
And one by one began to creep 
From out the primrose mother's lap; 
And gently every flower cup 
Unfolded from its nap. 

And opening wide their sweet lips white 
The primrose children told, 
From out their hearts of gold, 
The story of the child so dear — 
The child that came on Christmas night — 
The child that still is here. 



6 9 

The only words the flowers had 

With which to sing their song — 
So full and sweet and strong — 
Were precious scents of rich perfume ; 
And from their fresh-blown petals glad. 
It rose and filled the room. 



B 



£0e (Jtetw <£ear (geff. 
RING-A-RING, ring ! A-ring-a-ring, 



"Brother Carl, wake up! wake up! Don't 
you hear the great bell? Father is ringing 
the Xew Year in, don't you hear it, little 
Carl? Wake up!" 

Tangled-haired little Carl sat up in bed, 
rubbed his eyes, and after a few winks opened 
them wide. 

"Is it the wind, brother Hans, that sings 
so?" 

"No, no! It is the great bell; don't you 
hear it ring? It is ringing for the New Year. ' ' 

"Is father drawing the rope?" asked the 
little one. 

"Of course he is, little Carl; he is waking 
up the whole world that every one may wish 
a 'Happy New Year. ' Come, let us go to the 
window. ' ' 

And the two little fellows crept out of their 



7i 

warm nest onto the cold floor, and over to the 
window in the gable. 

"Oh, see, there is father's lantern in the 
steeple window!" cried Carl. 

It threw its light into the frosty night; the 
clear stars cut sharp holes in the sky, and the 
air was so cold it made everything glisten. 

A-ring-a-ring, ring! clanged the great bell, 
and little Hans and Carl knew that father's 
arms were making it ring. The strokes were 
so strong that each one made little half-asleep 
Carl wink; and the stars seemed to wink back 
to him each time. He crept closer to Hans, 
and the two stood still with their arms about 
each other; the room was quite cold, but they 
did not mind it, for with each stroke the great 
bell seemed to ring more beautifully. It 
seemed so near them, as if ringing right in 
their ears, and the two little boys stood and 
listened with beating hearts. 

"I saw dear father fix his lantern," whis- 
pered Hans. u He set it near the door before 



72 

we went to bed, all ready to light when the 
clock struck twelve. Mother said to him as 
he put the lantern there, ' Ring the bell good 
and strong, dear father, for who knows but 
this year may bring the great blessing which 
the Christ-Child promised!' We must watch 
for it, little Carl. 11 

And the old bell seemed to speak louder and 
clearer to the little ones, as they eagerly lis- 
tened for what it was telling. 

"Father says the bell will never ring from 
the old tower again for the new one is being 
built, ' ' said Hans. l ' And what do you think, 
brother Carl, our dear mother wept because 
the old steeple must be broken down, and the 
dear bell, that is even now a-ringing, must be 
put into another great tower to ring." 

"Does the great bell know it, brother?" 

"Xo, dear little Carl; but no matter where 
it is put it will always ring, and be glad to 
wake the village for the New Year." 

"Will we go and say good-bye to the dear 



73 

old bell, brother Hans?" whispered little 
Carl. 

"Yes, dear brother mine; when it is day we 
will go, for it has rung so many times for us." 

They crept out of the cold into their snug 
bed again, and the great strokes poured from 
the tower window long after the little curly 
heads were full of dreams. 

"Wake up, brother Hans! there is the 
sun." This time little Carl was the first to 
arise. Quickly they were both dressed, and 
opening their door noiselessly they went down 
the narrow stairs on tiptoe, and then out into 
the open air. 

A swift wind was blowing. It swept over 
the bare bushes and whirled the snow into 
the children's faces, and filled their curly hair 
with flakes. But the sun was smiling down 
on them and said, " See what a beautiful day 
I brought for a New Year's gift to you! " 

And the little ones passed through the 
church door, that was always open, and into 



74 

the belfry tower. They knew the way, for 
father had so often taken them with him. 

They came to the long, dark ladder- way; 
but they did not mind the dark — for they 
knew the bell was at the top, and they bravely 
began to climb. 

Hans had wooden shoes, so he left them at 
the foot of the ladder. It is so much easier 
to climb a ladder with bare feet. Besides, he 
hardly felt the cold he was such a quick and 
lively little boy. 

Carl went ahead that brother Hans might 
the more easily help him. They climbed, up 
and up, and the brave big brother talked 
merrily all the time, to keep little Carl from 
thinking of the long, long way. Up and up 
they went. It became darker and darker. 
Little Carl led on and on, and he was glad 
that Hans was behind him. 

All at once a bright stream of light greeted 
them from above, and they knew that soon 
they would be with the dear old bell. 



75 

Through the opening they crept, and there 
the great bell hung and they stood beneath it. 
Hans could just touch it, and he felt of its 
long tongue and saw the shining marks of its 
sides where it had struck in clanging for many, 
many years. 

It was very cold in the belfry. Iyittle Carl 
tucked his hands under his blouse and gazed 
at the bell, while Hans explained to him what 
made the music, and the great tolling tones 
came from it. 

"The whole world loves the great bell, 
brother Carl," said Hans. "Mother thinks 
that last night it rang in the great blessing 
which the Christ-Child had promised." 

"What did the little Christ-Child promise, 
brother?" 

' ' Don' t you remember, little Carl? Mother 
told us that the Christ- Child would send little 
children a beautiful gift; I think it must be 
the New Year that he has sent, for that is 
what the old bell brought to us last night." 




MADONNA OF THE WAISTBAND 
{Murillo) 



7 6 

And Hans lifted little Carl, and he kissed 
the beautiful bell on its great round lip, and 
the bell was still warm from its long ringing. 

And they stood and looked at the bell 
quietly for a long time. And then they said, 
"Good-bye, dear great bell," and they went 
down the long, dark ladder again. 

Hans put on his wooden shoes at the foot 
of the ladder, and with flying feet they crossed 
the church garden, and there stood the dear 
mother in the door looking for them. She 
had found their little bed empty, and was 
just starting out to find them. 

1 ( Dear mother, we have been in the tower 
to thank the great bell for bringing the New 
Year," cried Hans. 

"Did the Christ- Child send it, mother?" 
asked little Carl. 

The mother stooped and put her arms about 
them and kissed them both. As she led them 
into the room she said, "Yes, my little ones, 
the Christ-Child sends the New Year." 



ynWKIvVB little sleepy boys, rubbing their 
eyes and stretching their mouths as 
wide as ever they could with yawns, were 
standing in the snow, waiting. 

They were right under the window of their 
dear old godfather's house, and it was early 
Christmas morning, long before daylight. 

Suddenly, out on the frosty air their voices 
spoke, chiming so sweetly that the dear god- 
father must certainly have thought he was 
dreaming of angels as he waked. 

Upstairs, inside the house, in his own little 
bedroom, and on his own old-fashioned bed, 
the old man lay. Suddenly he sat up, brushed 
his nightcap away from his ears, and this is 
what he heard: 

"Carol, brothers, carol, 
Carol joyfully; 
Carol the good tidings, 
Carol merrily. 



78 

Carol but in gladness, 

Not in songs of earth, 
On the Saviour's birthday 

Hallowed be our mirth." 

And the dear godfather wiped away a tear, 
for he knew that these little lads must surely 
love him, if they would creep out of their 
trundle beds so early on a cold morning to 
remind him of the Christ-Child and his com- 
ing. 

The good old man crept out of his warm 
bed to go to the window. Just then the 
singer began the second verse: 

"While the heavens are telling 
To mankind good-will, 
Only love and kindness 
Every bosom fill. 

And pray a gladsome Christmas 
For all good Christian men, 

Carol, brothers, carol, 
Christmas day again." 



79 

He threw open the window wide, and called 
to his little godchildren, and they came into 
the large hall and warmed themselves by the 
fireplace. He gave them raisins and cakes to 
eat, for they had not had any breakfast. 

Then by the candle-light the godfather 
showed them beautiful pictures of the Christ- 
Child and its lovely mother. He told them 
how Jesus loved the world and served the poor 
and sick. 

And there in the fire-light the boys sang 
their sweet songs over and over for him, and 
when the beautiful Christmas morning broke 
over the village, the godfather kissed each 
rosy face and sent his beloved godchildren 
with gifts in their hands to go to the poor and 
old to wake them with their joyful songs of 
Christ's birth. 




HOLY FAMILY 
[Knaus) 










H let us wind the holly 

In Christmas garlands gay, 
It lives so long, and glistens 
When roses fade away ! 

Wind it on the stairs and windows 
And on the cradles, too — 

The babies love the holly 
Quite as much as you. 

Christmas was made for babies, 

All their own to keep; 
It's the birthday of that Baby 

Who was cradled with the sheep. 

Here's holly for the babies! 

And on their cribs upstairs 
We'll weave its branches, green and 
red, 

For Christmas dav is theirs. 



riVEN after the Christ-Child had come 
upon the earth, and the children of the 
world and the grown people, too, had heard 
the story over and over, they still watched and 
waited for him. 

When he went to his Father, his last words 
had been promises of his coming back again, 
and sweet thoughts like these he left with us: 
I go to my Father, but I shall return again; 
IvO, I am with you alway. So it is no wonder 
that the world went on waiting and watching, 
and working to be good enough to receive him 
when he came again. 

Far back, many years ago, when good men 
were called saints, there lived one named 
Christopher. He was very large and strong, 
and could lift the heaviest burdens on his 
back, and his legs were so stout that he could 
travel far without growing tired. 

Although he loved God and did all the 



82 

good things lie could, yet he knew very little 
of the wise things of the world, and thought 
it would be almost useless for him to think 
of serving the King of Heaven by prayers 
and beautiful words, as did all the people who 
passed through his home place on their way 
to Jerusalem. 

One day he went to a very good brother 
who was wiser than many others, and who 
lived all alone in a cave and was called a her- 
mit. He thought he would ask him what 
he might do to serve God more and better 
than he had ever before. The hermit lived 
a long way, so Christopher broke off a palm- 
tree to use as a staff, for he was a man of 
great power. 

When he found the hermit, he said to him: 
"Brother, I am strong and large; I can bear 
heavy loads and walk through stony paths 
long distances and never weary. See this 
palm which I broke with my single hand. 
Yet, brother, I would rather serve God and 



83 

have his blessing than be strong without a 
purpose. ' ' 

"Then, good Christopher, you may do as I 
tell you. There is a river with a stony bot- 
tom, wide and deep, with steep banks, through 
which all our people must pass on their way 
to Jerusalem. There is no bridge nor any 
other path, and every rain fills these high 
banks, and many people are compelled to wait 
and lose their way. Do you know the river? " 

Christopher bowed his head. 

1 ' If you would serve God, go and serve his 
people, and help them over this water, so deep 
and rocky and wide. ' ' 

Christopher bowed his head again. 

"Why do you not speak? Do you fear?" 
the hermit asked. 

But Christopher only raised his head and 
answered: "It is nothing for me to carry 
loads and fight the water. I want to learn 
beautiful prayers and go as a pilgrim with 
the other worshipers." 



8 4 

"Christopher, my brother," said the her- 
mit, ' ' serve and love your brethren first, and 
then you will begin to know how to serve and 
love the Father. You will know, some day, 
why I speak thus; for when you love others 
you love the Christ-Child as well." 

And Christopher bowed his head and went 
away. He took his great staff, made of the 
palm-tree which he had torn up, and with 
other palms he built himself a hut at the 
crossing of the river. There day after day he 
toiled and helped the travelers over. When 
the rains came and the water was very deep 
he would put people on his shoulders, and 
when little children came to cross, he always 
bore them so much more joyously. 

At night the people would call out to him, 
and if there was not a single star he would 
go just the same, without a question; for his 
brave feet knew every stone in the watery 
path. 

One very dark night — so dark that Christo- 



85 

pher almost prayed that no one would come 
to call him out into the rain — he heard a cry, 
as if a baby were without its mother in the 
storm. 

"It is the wind," said Christopher; and he 
tried to sleep and forget. 

Again the cry came: "Christopher, come, 
come ! ' ' 

He raised his head, threw about him his 
coat, and opened the door. His light flick- 
ered out, and the storm still roared. 

"Christopher, Christopher, come and carry 
me over!" And he broke through the door 
and went out into the dark. 

There in the storm he found a young child, 
naked and all alone, sitting and waiting for 
him. 

' ' Carry me over, good Christopher. I must 
go to-night, for I promised so many beyond 
here that I was coming, and they are waiting 
and watching for me. Carry me over, good 
Christopher!" 




SAINT CHRISTOPHER AND CHRIST-CHILD 
' Titian) 



86 

Christopher looked down upon the dear 
child; he smiled and lifted him to his strong 
shoulders, and taking up his staff' he stepped 
into the swollen stream. The waters rushed 
about them. The great stones in the bottom 
had been moved from their places, but Chris- 
topher walked carefully, and the little one 
clung to him so tightly that he had no fear. 

As he stepped out deeper and deeper into 
the river his burden seemed to grow heavier 
and heavier, for the water beat against them 
both. 

It seemed as though they must surely sink, 
for it was a wild, wild night. 

Each step was harder than the last, and his 
breath came hard, and his knees could scarcely 
hold out any longer, so heavy had his burden 
grown. His palm staff bent as it helped him 
along, and the river seemed never so wide 
before. 

At length he touched the other side safe 
and weary. He set the child down; gently 



87 

and lovingly he did it, with never a thought 
of how hard he had worked to help. And sud- 
denly, as the clouds broke and the moonlight 
fell upon them, he saw a beautiful being with 
shining face and holy smile; and in the quiet 
of the night he broke out with — "Who are 
you, my child ? who are you? for had I carried 
the whole world on my shoulders to serve God 
it could not have been harder. Tell me who 
you are. ' ' 

And the sweet voice said: "Good Christo- 
pher, I am he who has promised to come to 
you, and whom you have been serving. Did 
you not know that in this humble, hard work 
at serving all, you were serving me and the 
Father? With whatever strength you have 
you shall serve, and it shall all be holy. Your 
staff, too, has served with all its power. If you 
will plant it in the ground you shall see what 
beautiful things live even in a dry staff when 
it works for others." 

Christopher did so, and suddenly it bios- 



88 

somed into a beautiful fresh, palm-tree, full of 
fruit. And his great heart was filled with con- 
tent, for he knew that he and his staff had 
served the Christ- Child. 

And the Christ passed on into the early 
morning light that was breaking. 

Down the long pathway he went, on and on, 
to cheer the waiting people all the way. 

And Christopher went back to his holy work 
of serving men; and he no longer needed his 
staff, for his happy heart never let him lose 
courage since he knew he was serving the 
Christ- Child. 



&tftfe £0ift>ren £ome QXnto (UU. 

JESUS always remembered the beautiful 
days of his childhood, for in his heart he 
was always young. He loved little children 
because they knew how to love better than 
anyone else. As he watched them playing 
about him, singing and frolicking with each 
other, he would say: "They are of my Fath- 
er's house; they are of the kingdom of heaven 
because they know what pure joy is." 

Whenever there were any children about he 
would call them to him and they would fly to 
his loving arms, and the mothers would bring 
their babies for him to touch and kiss, for they 
felt that he loved them even more than they, 
for he knew so well how to love. 

What did he see when he looked into the 
sweet face of a child? 

Yes, he saw back of the eyes, deep down in 
the heart, the pure child of God which dwells 
in each one of us, and he told all the people 




CHRIST BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN 
[Hockhursi) 



9° 

that they must become again as this beautiful 
child before they would know what the king- 
dom of heaven was; and when they kept their 
hearts pure as a little child they would know 
God and dwell with him. 

He taueht every one of us to look into each 
others' eyes and seek the pure child of God 
there. Think, if we did this always! We 
would find all our friends in the heaven with- 
in, and then we would have the kingdom of 
heaven without and all about us. He told us 
we must do this when he taught us to pray: 
"Thy kingdom come on earth." 

Each one of us must do his share to help it 
to come. 



(f^ryo^ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



11 

021 066 157 8 








